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Petersen Museum Paying Tribute To Baja 1000 Glory - autoMedia

Honda Racing - 2012 Baja 1000

1971 Ford Bronco "Big Oly"

There is no race quite like the Baja 1000, and there is no better place to pay tribute to the legendary event like the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Next weekend, they?ll do just that with a trip down memory lane to celebrate the race that started with two motorcycles and turned into one of the most grueling competitions in motorsport.

Launched in 1962, with Honda eager to prove the mettle of their new CL72 Scrambler, drivers Dave Ekins and Bill Robertson blasted down the coast of Baja California and ended in La Paz. Ekins completed the 952.7-mile run in 39 hours and 56 minutes. Five years later, the first official NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally took place and media coverage brought the intense desert race into the magazines and televisions of fans all over the world. The rest is history, and it will all be on display at the Petersen on Saturday, May 4.

Today, the event includes more than 20 classes of trucks and buggies, plus about a dozen classes of motorcycles and ATVs. Overall winners in the past have included almost all major manufacturers, from the dominance of Ford and Chevrolet in recent years to an incredible nine wins from 1973-85 for Volkswagen, and even a couple of victories for Toyota sprinkled in there.

But it all comes back to Honda, the originators, and presenters of the Braving Baja: 1000 Miles to Glory event. The original CL72 Scrambler will be on display, alongsidethe Harley Davidson Baja 100 that won the 100cc class in 1971, the 1970 winning Miller Havens Volkswagen and a replica of the famous ?Big Oly? Ford Bronco that racing icon Parnelli Jones took to victory in 1971. Owners of Baja racers are encouraged to bring their own rides to the show, as well. For more information, click here to visit the official Braving Baja: 1000 Miles to Glory page.